


Face Another Day

by ScorpioGirl1987



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Bisexual Poe Dameron, Crime, Drama, Family, Friendship, Multi, Poe Dameron Needs A Hug, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Spoilers for Poe Dameron: Free Fall, Undercover
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:01:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25772533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScorpioGirl1987/pseuds/ScorpioGirl1987
Summary: After 13 months away from home, Poe returns with a new name and a disguised appearance. Not wanting to be separated from his father again, he goes undercover as Kes' caretaker after Kes woke from a coma. Unfortunately, the surviving Spice Runners of Kijimi are determined to find him.
Relationships: Kes Dameron & Poe Dameron, Poe Dameron & L'ulo L'ampar
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	1. The Prodigal Son Returns

**Author's Note:**

> So, I just read Poe Dameron: Free Fall, and the ending was a bit open ended for lack of a better term. So, this popped into my head! I know the spice runner background is wildly unpopular, but I can't help myself!

The trip to Yavin 4 felt long. Poe silently stared out the viewport at the blue and white streaks of hyperspace. He kept thinking about the state his father might be in. Was he working on the farm and searching the sky for ships coming in hoping he’d be on it? Was he even alive?

His holographic disguise matrix was still working, surprisingly. He now sported short, straight brown hair, lighter skin and hazel eyes.

Kalliday pulled the ship out of hyperspace, the red-orange gas giant looming before them. Poe felt a rush of joy and relief he never thought he’d feel at the sight of his home planet he couldn’t wait to get off of. He barely heard Kalliday speaking.

“Kid? Hello?” Kalliday snapped his fingers in Poe’s ear.

“Huh? Sorry, what?” Poe said, shaking his head.

“What name should I give them?”

“Um…Kuper Kermel.” Poe replied.

Zade nodded as a voice came over the feed asking for Kalliday to identify himself.

“Zade Kalliday. I’m just dropping someone off, then I need fuel and supplies.” Kalliday replied.

“Passenger’s name?”

“Kuper Kermel.” Kalliday replied.

“You’re cleared for landing on Dock B8.” The dispatcher replied.

XX

As soon as they stepped out of the _Midnight Blade_ , Kalliday groaned and stretched out his back. “Well, kid, here’s where we part ways. You good to go?”

“Yeah. I still have some credits left. I’ll be fine.” Poe assured him. “Thanks again for the ride.”

“You’re welcome.”

Poe turned around, took a deep breath, and headed for the speeder bike rental. He looked around and barely paid attention to where he was going. He bumped into a man was brown hair and blue eyes.

“Oh! Sorry. My fault. I wasn’t paying attention.” Poe said apologetically.

“It’s all right.” The man replied.

Poe studied the strange man. “Are you new around here? I don’t remember seeing you.”

“No, I’m just passing through with my family, actually.” The man said.

“Oh. Okay, well, safe travels.” Poe waved a hand.

“Thanks. May the Force be with you.” The man nodded.

“And you.” Poe replied. He smiled as he watched the man meet up with a woman in a hooded robe carrying a little girl who couldn’t be more than four years old. The little girl caught his eye, smiled, and waved as she was carried off. Poe smiled and waved back. _‘That little girl is lucky. Hopefully, she won’t make the same mistakes I made when she’s all grown up.’_

XXX

Poe pulled up the police station. He really hopes L’ulo still worked there. He couldn’t bring himself to go to his farm yet. He didn’t know what he would find there.

Poe walked through the station and approached the front desk. “Hi. I’m here to see Officer Lampar.”

“It’s Detective Lampar now.” The receptionist replied. “His office is at the end of the hall. I’ll let him know you’re coming.”

“Thanks.” Poe walked to L’ulo’s office and hesitated before knocking. He took a deep breath. “Okay. First impressions are the only impressions.” He knocked.

“Come in.” L’ulo called.

Poe walked through the door and beamed at his surrogate uncle. “Hey, L’ulo. So, you’re a detective now? Congratulations.”

L’ulo looked at the obvious stranger, puzzled. “Um…do I know you?”

Poe was taken aback, then he remembered. “Oh, right. The disguise matrix.” He made sure no one was coming, pulled out the disguise matrix and turned it off.

L’ulo was shocked to see the stranger’s face digitally melt away to reveal his long-lost surrogate nephew. He gasped and stood up. “By the Force.” He walked over and pulled Poe into a tight hug. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

“Hey, I did promise.” Poe chuckled softly.

“So, why the disguise matrix? You’re not a fugitive.” L’ulo wondered.

“I’m on the run from the Spice Runners.” Poe explained. “I betrayed them by ruining their plan, which got most of the cartel killed.”

L’ulo’s eyes widened and he nodded for him to continue.

“I’ve been on the run from them for almost a month. I got this disguise matrix, changed my name, and paid someone to bring me here.” Poe finished.

“How did you pay them?” L’ulo asked apprehensively.

“I still had some money left over. I saved up enough to get out.” Poe replied.

“And you came here. To your home planet, which is the first place they’ll look if they’re after you?” L’ulo asked, aghast. Poe looked down and L’ulo sighed. “Well, at least you were smart enough to change your name and your appearance.”

“I had to come back.” Poe replied. “I had to see if…” He swallowed, dreading the answer to his next question. “Is my father dead?”

L’ulo sighed quietly and slumped his shoulders. “No. But he’s in a coma. The bite from the lurkers were poisonous. By the time I got him to a medical bay, it had barely reached his heart. It triggered an arrythmia, which triggered a heart attack and caused lack of blood pressure to his brain. We don’t know when or if he’ll ever wake up.”

Poe shuddered and gasped. After everything he’s gone through.

“I had him brought back here for treatment. We can go visit him if you’d like.” L’aulo said.

Poe shook his head. “I’m the one who put him in that coma in the first place. How do you know seeing him won’t make it worse?”

L’ulo placed both hands on his shoulders. “Poe, you did _not_ do this. What happened was just bad luck, messed up timing.”

“I shouldn’t have run away in the first place.” Poe lamented. “None of this would have happened.”

“Your father loves you no matter what.” L’ulo assured him. “You’re the only family he has left. He doesn’t want you not speaking.”

Poe swallowed and nodded. “I don’t want us not speaking, either.” He stood up. “Take me to him.”

L’ulo smiled and lightly slapped Poe’s face. “That’s my boy. Come on.” He lead him to the door, then stopped. “Oh, you might wanna…”

“Oh. Right.” Poe turned the holographic disguise matrix on.

XXX

L’ulo managed to sneak Poe into Kes’ hospital room. “I’ll keep lookout. I’ll kick the door casually if someone comes.”

Poe nodded. “Thanks.” L’ulo left the room, and Poe turned off the disguise matrix. He got choked up at the sight of his father looking frail and small on his hospital bed. He squeezed Kes’ hand, which still felt warm. “Dad? It’s me. I’m home.” He took a deep breath to take control of his emotions and continued. “I just want you to know that I left the Spice Runners. I never should have joined them in the first place.” He started getting choked up and tears started running down his cheeks. “I am so, so sorry, Dad. I’m so sorry for everything I did. I was so messed up. I should have listened to you. I’ll understand if you never forgive me.” He sniffed and hugged Kes’ hand to his chest…and Kes squeezed Poe’s hand. Poe gasped and looked up. “Dad?”

“Of course I forgive you.” Kes said hoarsely.

Poe started full-on crying happily. He hugged his father, who hugged back. “I love you.”

“Oh, kid, you have no idea.” Kes replied, sniffing. He cradled Poe's head against his shoulder. "Welcome home, son."

"I'll never leave again." Poe promised, his face set in determination. "Ever."


	2. Redemption

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe reunites with his father and turns himself in to the New Republic.

Poe pulled away, took a deep breath and dried his eyes. “How are you feeling?”

“Physically? Hm. Not bad. I can barely move. Uh, how long have I been out?” Kes asked.

“Five months.” Poe replied.

Kes was shocked. “Five…? When did you get back?”

“Earlier today.” Poe said apologetically. “I’m sorry it took so long for me to return.”

“You’re back, that’s what’s important.” Kes said. “How did you get away?”

“It’s a long story.” Poe replied.

Kes smiled. “Pretty sure I have time to listen.”

Poe chuckled. “The leader of the Spice Runners was planning on killing all of her enemies, then taking over the galaxy. I ruined her plan by letting her prisoners escape and it caused an all-out battle between the gangs. Most of the Spice Runners were killed. It took a few weeks, but I found a way off-planet and back here.”

“What about Zorii?” Kes said her name with distaste.

“We broke up. She didn’t take my betrayal well, but she let me go anyway.” Poe said carefully. He pushed down memories of Zorii beating him up, then saving him from her mother, then Zorii asking him to join her, then screaming after him as he ran off.

“Well, I guess she’s not totally heartless, then.” Kes mused. “What about Tomasso?”

Poe’s eyes darkened. “Killed by Zeva, the leader of the Spice Runners. She thought Tomasso betrayed her by passing information to the New Republic, but we found out later he was framed by Officer Trune as revenge against Zeva for killing her family.”

“So that’s why Trune was so obsessed with the spice runners.” Kes realized. “And Trune? What happened to her?”

“Killed by Zeva.” Poe replied. “I tried to save her, but it was too late.”

“Man, that’s a lot of bloodshed.” Kes commented.

Poe scoffed. “I know. The Clone Wars have nothing on the gang wars of Kijimi.”

Kes and Poe laughed softly. “What about Zeva? What happened to her?”

“I don’t know.” Poe sighed. “Last I saw of her, Zorii was holding a blaster to her head.”

Kes nodded. “Hm. Well, let this be a lesson to everyone: do not seek revenge. It’ll most likely get you killed.”

“Yeah, really…” Poe shook his head.

Kes took Poe’s hand and squeezed it. “I’m glad you made it out alive.”

“Me, too.” Poe jumped slightly when he heard someone kick the door and stood up. “Don’t tell anyone I’m here. I’ll explain later.” Before Kes could respond, Poe rushed into the refresher and closed the door just as L’ulo and a med droid walked into the room.

“Kes, you’re awake!” L’ulo exclaimed.

“Yeah. It feels like I’ve been asleep for months.” Kes replied.

“It has been five months since you lapsed into a coma.” The med droid M-3D said. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine, except I can barely move.” Kes replied.

“Your limbs haven’t been used for almost half a year. That’s to be expected.” M-3D replied. “You’re almost restored to full health. You need physical therapy and someone to help you with day-to-day activities.”

“Like a caretaker?” Kes asked.

“Sort of. Yes.”

Kes and L’ulo smiled at each other. “We have someone in mind.”

“Wonderful. I’ll go fetch a physical therapy droid and we’ll work out a schedule.” M-3D replied.

“Thanks, Doc.” Kes said.

L’ulo waited until M-3D was out of the room and out of sight of the windows before turning to the refresher. “Clear.”

Poe came out of the refresher. Kes looked from L’ulo to Poe in confusion. “What was that about?”

“I’m sort of…on the run from the Spice Runners.” Poe explained. “They know it was me who betrayed them, so…” He pulled out his disguise matrix and turned it on. “I had to come see you. This was the only safe way.”

“I understand.” Kes replied. “You at least changed your name, right?”

“I did.” Poe replied and extended his hand. “Kuper Kermel.”

Kes laughed softly and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, Kuper.”

“I think it’d be a good idea for Poe as Kuper to act as your caretaker.” L’ulo replied. “That way you’d be close without it looking weird or suspicious if anyone from the Spice Runners came knocking.”

Chills ran up and down Poe’s spine. “What if they do?”

“We’re gonna need the Republic’s help with this one.” L’ulo said. “It’s too big for local police.”

Poe let out a deep sigh. He was right. In order to guarantee all their safety, they need help. Which means…

“I have to turn myself in.” Poe realized.

“You’ll go to jail.” Kes pointed out.

“He can cut a deal.” L’ulo replied. “Information in exchange for his freedom or at the very least leniency.”

Kes nodded and looked at Poe, who also nodded. “Okay. It’s decided, then.”

XXX

Later that evening, Poe sat quietly in the dimly lit interrogation room. The room had one rectangular table with two chairs on each side and a light hanging above the table. Poe stood up as L’ulo walked in with a tall, slightly plump man in his early thirties with black hair and brown eyes.

“Poe, this is Lieutenant Temmin Wexley. Lieutenant, this is Poe Dameron.” L’ulo introduced.

“Hey, nice to meet you.” Poe greeted, extending his hand, which Temmin shook.

“Nice to meet you, too.” Temmin replied. They sat across from each other and L’ulo sat next to Poe. “Detective L’ampar tells me you are willing to turn yourself in for everything you’ve done this past year.”

Poe nodded. “I am.”

“Good. I have to tell you, though: running away from home, staging your own kidnapping, joining the Spice Runners of Kijimi, and depending on what else you’re going to confess to; it does not look good for you.” Temmin said. “However, depending on what information you can give us about the Spice Runners, we might go easy on you.”

Poe swallowed and nodded. “Okay. I understand.”

Temmin pulled out a holoprojector. “Would you mind if I recorded our conversation for investigation purposes?”

“Yeah, it’s fine.” Poe replied.

“Good. So, Poe, why don’t we start at the beginning?” Temmin asked.

Poe took a deep breath and sat up. “Well…it all started when I met this girl at Gully’s Tavern. She was part of this group that was talking about needing a pilot. I honestly thought they were just smugglers of some sort, so I volunteered my services. I knew I would have been in trouble for running away, which is why I staged my own kidnapping. I didn’t know they were Spice Runners until we actually boarded the ship. If I had known sooner, I never would have joined them in the first place. I was just so desperate to leave home, I wasn’t thinking.

“We travelled from world to world avoiding competitors, hiding from the New Republic…we attacked a Moraysian cruiser commanded by Ledesmar the Zabrak. She had something our leader Zeva Bliss wanted, so we killed her and stole it.”

“What was it?” Temmin asked.

“Zeva’s helmet.” Poe replied. “Zorii ended up killing Ledesmar, and…I guess you know about Officer Trune showing up and a few others from the NRSB.”

Temmin nodded. “We do. One of the officers also told us you saved Trune. That’s a step towards redemption in our eyes.”

Poe smiled and nodded. “We then travelled to several safe houses throughout the Outer Rim.”

“Do you remember exactly where those safe houses are?” Temmin asked.

“Um…” Poe rubbed his eyes in thought and sighed. “I only remember what planets they’re on: Abafar, Batuu, Cantonnica, Elkeenar, Florrum, Kaddak, Kessel, Lah’mu, Felucia, and Mijos.”

“Okay. Do you remember what those safe houses look like?” Temmin asked.

“Run-down, made of wood with weeds and overgrown plant life in the yard to dissuade anyone from going anywhere near it.” Poe replied.

“All right, that narrows it down.” Temmin nodded. “What was your role in the organization?”

“I was mostly just a getaway pilot and errand boy. I also did most of the grunt work around the ship and I was the lookout sometimes.” Poe replied. “I never actually ran spice during my…tenure, nor did I use. And I only killed one person and it was in self-defense.”

Temmin nodded. “Okay. Where on Kijimi was their base?”

“In the City.” Poe replied. “There’s a huge monastery in the center of the city. That was their base of operations.”

“All right, this is good intel.” Temmin replied. “What can you tell us about their leader?”

“Zeva Bliss. Tall human female, black hair, green eyes, and pale skin.” Poe replied, his eyes darkening. “I met her when she landed on that planet with the Lurkers.” He turned to L’ulo. “It was just after you and Dad left.” He turned back to Temmin. “She killed Tomasso, my mentor, because she thought he passed along information on the Spice Runners to the New Republic, but we found out later that he was framed by Officer Trune to get back at Zeva for killing her family.”

Temmin sighed deeply. He knew all about Trune’s vendetta against the Spice Runners of Kijimi. He gestured for Poe to continue.

“I was promoted to a fully-fledged member of the Spice Runners of Kijimi. My friendship with Zorii was strained because she thought I had known that my father and L’ulo were tracking us down and I was mad at her for keeping from me the fact that she was the boss’ daughter.” Poe continued. “I still missed our friendship, so I still stuck around hoping she’d come around. But then…”

After a minute, Temmin asked “Then what?”

Poe took a deep breath. “Zeva gathered all of her enemies under one roof with the intention of killing them all. I doubt any of those guys were innocent, but they were innocent in that moment. It would have been downright murder. So, I ran outside to where Zeva was leading her prisoners to this arena, then Trune showed up alone. Without backup.

“With help from a droid, EV-6B6, I freed the prisoners and gave them weapons. That’s when the battle started.” Poe swallowed and felt a pang of sadness as he remembered seeing Evee’s smoking husk on the ground. “She saved my life, but…she didn’t make it. That was when some Chagrian grabbed me by the throat and tried to kill me for betraying the Spice Runners.” Poe shuddered at the memory. L’ulo squeezed his shoulder comfortingly. Poe continued. “He got distracted by Zeva fatally stabbing Trune. I took the opportunity and shot him in the head. I headed over to Zeva and Trune and shot Zeva in the shoulder. Trune died in my arms.”

Temmin sighed deeply and rubbed his face. ‘Force dammit, Trune…’ Aloud, he said. “Then what happened?”

Poe shuddered and started gasping for breath. L’ulo knelt in front of Poe and gripped his shoulders. “Poe, Poe, look at me. It’s all right, you’re safe with us now.”

Poe took a deep breath and composed himself. Temmin looked uncomfortable. “Uh…maybe we should finish this up tomorrow.”

Poe shook his head. “No. I’m fine.” He stammered. “Besides, I’m almost done anyway.” L’ulo nodded and sat back in his chair. He continued with his story. “To say that Zeva was infuriated with me would be an understatement. She sliced me across the chest, and I ran for it, but she caught up to me. I tried to shoot her, but she nearly sliced my arm off. I fell to the ground, and she tried to stab me in the stomach, but I turned to the side and caught it in my ribcage. Then Zorii showed up and saved my life. She got her mother away from me. She wanted me to join her…to create our own criminal gang, but I refused, and I ran.”

“And she let you go?” L’ulo asked in amazement. Poe nodded. “Huh. Guess she’s not totally heartless after all.” Temmin looked taken aback by that comment. “When Kes and I first met her, let’s say that she is terrible at first impressions. She acted all entitled and controlling. She basically spoke for Poe and acted as if _we_ were the bad guys taking her friend away from them. And don’t get me started on Tomasso. He very condescendingly told us on no uncertain terms are they just gonna let people go when their relatives come calling. Relatives. As if Kes was just a distant cousin or uncle and not his kriffing father!”

“Yikes.” Temmin grimaced.

Now it was Poe’s turn to be taken aback. “L’ulo, Zorii just didn’t want me to leave. I was her only friend her age. And Tomasso didn’t want me to go, either.”

“If they truly cared about you, they would not have interfered with our conversation and they wouldn’t have made the choice for you or speak for you!!” L’ulo said firmly.

“He’s right.” Temmin shrugged. Poe just scoffed, folded his arms, and looked away. “What happened after you ran away from Zorii?”

“Someone owed me a favor, so I called it in and got medical attention. Then I stole a disguise matrix and paid for passage off-planet.” Poe replied.

“Wait, if you could afford a way off-planet, then why’d you have to steal a disguise matrix?” Temmin asked.

“I’d rather not say.” Poe replied.

Temmin sighed. “Are you afraid of the guy you stole the matrix from?”

“No.” Poe said sincerely. “And fine, I didn’t steal it. He secretly gave it to me. I don’t want him to get in trouble with the Spice Runners.”

Temmin nodded. “Okay. Well, it’s looking a bit better than I anticipated. You should be able to get away with this without prison time. The senate will decide your fate. In the meantime, keep up with the disguise matrix and lay low until the Spice Runners are brought down.”

“I understand.” Poe nodded, feeling a little better.

“Just out of curiosity, how did Zorii take your betrayal?” Temmin asked.

Poe shuddered at the memory of Zorii beating the poodoo out of him. “Well, I’d just betrayed her. How do you think she took it?”

“I’m guessing it wasn’t just calmly telling you she can’t be friends with you anymore and walking away.” L’ulo quipped.

“Yeah, it was.” Poe lied.

L’ulo saw right through him and sighed sadly. “She hurt you, didn’t she?”

“No!” Poe said too quickly and defensively. L’ulo and Temmin just stared at him. Poe huffed. “She had to show loyalty to her mother. You’re supposed to choose your family over your friends anyway, and I did betray her, so-“

“You’re also not supposed to abuse someone you supposedly care about.” L’ulo pointed out. “I can’t believe you are making excuses for her!”

Poe shook his head and turned away. He did not want to talk about this right now. He turned to Temmin. “Am I free to go?”

“Yes, you may go.” Temmin stood up and shook hands with both Poe and L’ulo. “I’ll keep in touch.”

“Thanks, Lieutenant Wexley.” Poe said.

“Please, call me Snap.” Snap replied, smiling. He left the room.

Poe sighed and turned to L’ulo. “Are you going to tell my dad about what Zeva and Zorii and the Chagrian did to me?”

“Not if you don’t want me to.” L’ulo replied. “But I do think you should tell him eventually.”

Poe looked down, then back up. “I don’t want to trigger another heart attack or make him even more overprotective.”

“Well, that’s your choice.” L’ulo shrugged. He put a hand on his shoulder. “What do you say we head back to the medbay to check on him?”

Poe nodded. “I’d like that.”


	3. Home Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe starts to get his life back together on Yavin 4.

The med droid suggested Kes stay in the hospital for another night for observation. The physical therapist droid agreed to work with him once a week to get him back into shape. Kes lay awake, staring at the ceiling. It was hard to believe he had been in a coma for five months. The last thing he remembered was Poe wanting to stay with the Spice Runners, then the next minute, Poe is back home and on the run from them.

His mind went back to that fateful day. He reunited with Poe, then met his so-called “friends” Zorii and Tomasso.

Or Tom-asshole.

Let’s be realistic here. Having a mentor is great, and any parent would be glad that someone is there for their child when said parent isn’t.

Unless, of course, the mentor is condescending, manipulative, entitled…

He took a deep breath to calm his anger. At least Tom-asshole is dead, and Poe is back. That’s what’s important. That’s what Shara would say, anyway.

He couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if Shara was still alive. Would Poe still run away? Would he still offer to fly those criminals off-planet? Would it have taken so long to track him down?

How would that confrontation have been different if Shara was there?

_“You’re not leaving with our son.” Kes said firmly._

_“Excuse me, that is not your call.” Zorii responded._

_“Zorii, let’s just-“_

_“No, let’s not.” Zorii interrupted Poe, glaring at Kes. “What makes you think you can just stroll into our lives and take Poe from us? He’s a Spice Runner now. You think you can just call in a few favors and do as you please? The New Republic’s tentacles don’t stretch out this far. And even if they did, we follow a different set of rules.”_

_“You mean what makes you think a caring mother and father can just waltz in and take our sixteen-year-old son with us?” Shara raised an eyebrow at Zorii. “We don’t care about the New Republic. We don’t care about your stupid spice running gang. We just want our underage son back.”_

_“Parents will do whatever they need to do to find their sons.” Kes put in. He turned to Poe, eyebrows raised. “Poe, we want you to come back. It’s been too long. We’ll talk about it on the way home.”_

_Tomasso stepped forward. “Poe Dameron is not a boy, nor is he a piece of property.”_

_“He’s sixteen years old!” Shara declared, her voice rising._

_“He is a spice runner,” Tomasso continued, ignoring Shara. “by choice and by virtue. We do not simply surrender people when their relatives come calling.”_

_Something snapped inside Shara. “You son of a bitch. I want my son back. I want my son back, NOW!” She lunged at Tomasso, grabbing his shirt and started shaking him. Kes and L’ulo rushed forward and pulled her back._

_“Shara, calm down. This isn’t helping.” Kes said._

_Shara struggled against Kes and ignored him. She glared at Tomasso with purest loathing. “I’m gonna kill you! I’m gonna kill you! I swear to the Force I am going to kill you!”_

Kes sighed quietly. Maybe he should have said more, but he doubted it would have made a difference. Anyway, that doesn’t matter now.

Poe walked into the room in his disguise. “Hey.”

“Hey. How’d it go?” Kes asked.

“It went okay.” Poe replied. “I gave them some information about the Spice Runners, so hopefully that will be enough to get me off the hook. L’ulo’s talking with the Commissioner to get everything straightened out.”

“That’s good.” Kes replied.

“What about you?”

MD-47 rolled into the room and noticed Poe. “Oh, hello. Are you the caretaker?”

“Yes, I am.” Poe replied, smiling. “Kuper Kermel at your service.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Master Kuper.” MD-47 responded. He held out a holodisk. “Here are instructions for Mr. Dameron’s dietary needs, meal suggestions, and medication.”

“Thanks.” Poe replied, taking the disc.

“As for you, Mr. Dameron, you’re all set to go. You just need to sign the release form, and we have a hover chair for you.” The droid pointed to the black hover chair by the door. “I also expect you to come once a month for checkups.”

“I’ll make sure he does.” Poe assured him.

XXX

Poe sighed in content when he pushed Kes through the front door of their house. “It feels like it’s been half a decade since I’ve been home.”

Kes chuckled. “You’re telling me.”

“I kept this place clean for you guys.” L’ulo said as he came up behind them.

“Oh, L’ulo, what would we do without you?” Kes grinned.

“Crash and burn?” L’ulo half-joked. They laughed. “I spoke with the commissioner. Lieutenant Wexley also got back to us about your confession. The New Republic doesn’t want to focus on the Spice Runners anymore. They have bigger fish to fry. So, you’re off the hook for that and you will be allowed to serve in the New Republic Navy if you want. As for you running away from home, staging your own kidnapping, and helping criminals escape this moon…Senator Organa and Chancellor Mothma have both heard about your situation and they both vouched for you. They both agreed that you were young and naïve, you didn’t know what you were getting yourself into. So, instead of prison time, the commissioner is placing you on probation until you’re twenty-one standard years old, you’re not allowed to fly ships for one year, and you’re sentenced to community service for one year. Since your dad is part of this community and grows some of the food for the marketplace here, taking care of him and making sure he becomes a hundred percent healthy again counts.”

Poe exhaled sharply. “So, basically every punishment except prison.”

“Pretty much.” L’ulo replied. “Also, he is aware that the Spice Runners might be looking for you, so he recommended you keep up the disguise.”

“Thank you, L’ulo. Really.” Poe said, smiling.

“You’re welcome.” L’ulo replied. “There is one condition, however. This is the very last time you’ll receive special treatment. If you break the law one more time, depending on the severity of your crime, you will either be put in prison or banished from this moon for life or both.”

“Okay. I understand.” Poe replied. “I promise: model citizen from here on out.”

“Good.” L’ulo smiled. “Now…do you guys need help with anything?”

“No, I think we’re good.” Poe replied.

After helping Kes into bed, Poe headed to the refresher to look himself in the mirror. He pulled off his shirt. The scars he received from Zeva still looked angry, but not infected or inflamed. He could probably get away with wearing a tank top. But how would he explain them to his sexual partners if he has any? He sighed. Not that he would ever have any again.

He headed to his bedroom for the first time since he’s been back. It was exactly how he remembered it. The orange walls, orange bedspread, white furniture. The walls were covered in posters of x-wings and famous pilots. On the nightstand was a holopicture of Poe with his parents. He flopped on his bed, hugged his pillow, and sighed in content. He was finally home.

XXX

In the basement of the Dai Bendu Monastary was a small dungeon for wrongdoers. Zeva walked to one of the cells and peeked through the bars at her daughter, who was sitting curled up in the corner. She looked up slowly, her face expressionless.

“I hope you understand why I put you in here, child.” Zeva said evenly. “You not only tried to kill and usurp me, but you let a traitor escape.”

“Have you found him, yet?” Zorii asked, keeping the emotion out of her voice.

“Not yet. But I assure you, it’s only a matter of time.” Zeva said. “When we do find Poe Dameron, you will correct your little mistake.”

Zorii swallowed and nodded. “Yes, Mother.”

Zeva smiled in satisfaction, then left without another word.

Zorii sighed and leaned her head back. ‘ _Wherever you are, Poe, betraying us better be worth it.’_


	4. The New Farm Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kes hires a new farm hand to help out on the farm. Poe tries not to develop feelings for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Free Fall hinted that Poe is bisexual (and actually, so did his chapter in Before The Awakening), so that is what I'm writing him as!

Poe gasped and sat bolt upright. He looked around, slightly panicked and calmed down once he realized he was in his own room. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. He had had another nightmare. It had been a week since he’s been home, and he’s had nightmares almost every night. The first night, he woke up screaming and he woke up Kes, who scrambled into his hover chair and rushed into his room. Since then, he leaned to control himself to not scream when he wakes.

He fell back against his pillow and stared at the ceiling. Tomorrow Kes will interview a few farmboy prospects to help out around the farm.

XXX

After breakfast the next morning, the interviews started. The first one seemed a bit nervous and backed out at the last minute, the second one thought the interview was for a housekeeping job. The third interviewee, Sonius, was most promising.

“I’ve worked on a farm before. I’m proficient, efficient, and punctual.” Sonius said. “I’m also willing to work weekends and holidays.”

Kes looked over his file on his datapad, then smiled and looked up. “All right, sounds like you’d be a good fit for this farm. You’re hired.”

Sonius was surprised. “Really? Great! Thank you so much. I promise, I won’t let you down.”

“Great. You’ll start today.” Kes replied. He set his datapad down as Poe walked in. “Kuper! Perfect timing. This is my newest farm hand, Sonius. Sonius, this is my caregiver Kuper.”

“Hi. It’s nice to meet you.” Sonius said, extending his hand.

Poe stopped and stared at the boy standing in front of him. He had soft, wavy brown hair and sparkling blue eyes, and a beautiful smile. He cleared his throat and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, too.”

Kes sighed inwardly and shook his head. He knew his son was bisexual and a hopeless romantic. He hoped he’ll be able to set aside his feelings for one afternoon. He turned to Sonius. “I still can’t move my arms very much, but I would like to give you a tour of the farm and what you’ll be doing.”

Poe hurried over to Kes’ hover chair and helped him into it. He then started pushing him towards the back door.

“Oh- here, let me open it.” Sonius walked ahead and opened the door.

“Thanks.” Kes replied. They headed towards the rectangular shaped barn off to the side of the house. “Here’s where all the farming equipment and goods are.” Then he pointed to a small shack behind it. “That’s the outhouse for the workers.” They strolled to the other side of the farm where the koyo groves and herb and vegetable patch is. “We grow koyo melons, a few herbs, and vegetables. You’ll till the earth, water the seeds, and once everything’s grown, you’ll pick them and set them in the barn and then prepare them to be sold to the supermarket in town.”

Sonius nodded. “Seems simple enough.”

“Glad to hear it.” Kes replied.

XXX

Sonius proved to be an excellent farm hand. He finished his work in time and was a self-starter. The weeks passed and Kes’ physical therapy improved. Poe became more and more infatuated with Sonius and tried to hide his feelings. He didn’t want to court someone as someone else.

One day, Poe went out to the vegetable patch to help out. He noticed Sonius was struggling with the soil cultivator.

“Ugh, come on.” Sonius grumbled as he pulled the lever to make it work, but it just sputtered.

“Need help?” Poe called out.

“No, no, I got it.” Sonius said with a quick glance. He yanked the lever which came off. “Oh, poodoo.” The cultivator roared to life and ran through the vegetable patch. “Oh, no, no, no, no, no!” He started chasing after it.

The motor tool sped towards Poe, who stood aside and grabbed the handle and kicked the button at the bottom, which shut it off.

Sonius caught up and sighed with relief. “Thanks.”

“Sure.” Poe replied. They looked at the ruined vegetable patch.

Sonius groaned in dread. “Oh, kriff. Look at this mess.”

“It’s okay. We can fix it.” Poe assured him. “It might take a while. We’ll have to put everything back with our bare hands.”

Sonius bit back a groan. “Is your offer to help still on the table?”

“Yes, it is.” Poe replied. He patted his shoulder and walked towards the patch. “Come on.”

Side-by-side, the two replanted the seeds and smoothed over the dirt. “So, Kuper, how do you know so much about farming?”

“Oh, I grew up on a farm on Felucia.” Well, that was half correct.

“How’d you end up a caregiver way out here?” Sonius asked.

“I decided I wanted to do more than just farming, and I wanted to help people, so I decided to become a caregiver.” Poe lied. “What about you?”

“Oh, I spent most of my childhood on Carlac, then I moved to Thabeska, which is how I know about farming.” Sonius replied. Poe nodded. “Mr. Dameron seems like a nice guy for a loner.”

Poe chuckled. “He is.”

“I noticed pictures of a woman and a boy around the house. Is that his wife and kid?” Sonius asked.

“Uh, yeah.” Poe cleared his throat and focused on replanting. “His wife died over a decade ago and his son ran away from home a couple years back.”

“Yikes. Why did the son run away? Do you know?” Sonius asked.

Poe shrugged. “Teenage rebellion, he got bored with his mundane life here on Yavin 4…who knows?”

“Do you think he’s still alive?” Sonius asked.

“I don’t know.” Poe shrugged. “Why are you so interested?”

Sonius scoffed and shook his head. “I am like, ninety-five percent driven by curiosity.”

Poe smirked. “So, if I were to give you a present the day after Life Day and was very vague and cryptic and shady about it…”

Sonius snickered and rolled his eyes. “I would open it right away. Why are you giving me a present after Life Day? And why after Life Day instead of on Life Day?”

“It’s just a random question. I do that sometimes.” Poe said.

“Okay, then.” Sonius nodded. “Do you think he’ll ever return? Dameron’s son?”

“Well, if he does, he’s gonna see that someone moved into his house, his sleeping quarters, and is helping out at the farm and taking care of his dad.” Poe replied. “He’ll probably be resentful and jealous, but, well, that’s what he gets for running away from home.”

Sonius nodded. “True.”

It took an hour, but they put the vegetable patch back together. They had a moment when they touched hands reaching for the same pile of dirt. They both pulled away shyly.

“I should get cleaned up.” Poe replied. He stood up and dusted his hands off.

“Kuper…” Sonius stood and pecked Poe on the cheek. “Thank you for helping me.”

Poe blushed, cleared his throat, and looked away. “You’re welcome.”

He started towards the house, still blushing. That kiss felt wonderful, and he wished it were on the lips. He shook that feeling off. He couldn’t develop feelings for someone else so soon after what happened with Zorii.

At least not yet.


	5. Eye to Eye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe and Kes have a heart to heart and L'ulo visits.

Poe carried Kes’ food tray to the couch. “Dinner is served: heart-healthy vegetable soup with fresh baked whole wheat bread, and you better eat all of it.”

“All right, let me eat this at the table.” Kes said. “You could make a plastoid cast of my ass with the cushions from this couch.”

“Absolutely not.” Poe replied firmly. “As your caregiver, it is my responsibility to make sure you get plenty of rest before your stress test.”

“ _You’re_ my stress test.” Kes muttered. “Guess this means I can’t get salt?” Poe gave him a look and Kes sighed. “Didn’t think so.”

Poe smiled. “It’s fun being the overprotective one for once.”

“Good. Then you finally understand where I was coming from all these years.” Kes quipped.

Poe’s smile faded, and he nodded and turned away. “You were in a coma for five months. You had a serious arrythmia…and it’s my fault.”

“No, it’s not your fault.” Kes assured him.

“If I hadn’t run away, none of this would have happened.” Poe lamented.

“No. If I had just let you join the Naval Academy when you wanted to, this whole thing could have been avoided.” Kes sighed. “I would have known where you were, and you would have been safe. But none of that seems to matter anymore. We’re both home safe. The past is in the past.”

They ate in silence for a while. Kes spoke again. “So, I noticed that you and Sonius seem to be getting close.”

Poe scoffed and shook his head. “We’re just friends, Dad.”

“You have feelings for him, don’t you?” Kes asked. Poe shook his head and still avoided his gaze. “You know, it’s okay that you do. It’s just that you’re laying low. You can’t reveal who you really are for another ten months.”

“I know.” Poe sighed. “That’s why I’m trying not to have feelings for him.”

Kes laughed softly. “I don’t think that kind of thing can be stopped.”

“Good point. And I can’t ask you to fire him. Not when he’s doing such a good job.” Poe pointed out.

Kes laughed softly. “True.”

Someone knocked on the door. Poe stood up, redisguised himself, and went to the door. “Who is it?”

“It’s L’ulo.”

Poe smiled and opened the door. “Hey, L’ulo!”

“Hey, kid. How’s it going?” L’ulo greeted.

“Great. Come on in.” Poe replied. He stepped aside and gestured for him to come in.

“Hey, L’ulo.” Kes greeted his friend.

“Hey, Kes. You’re looking better.” L’ulo said as he walked into the living room.

“Thanks. I owe it all to my caregiver.” Kes smiled as he mopped up the remains of his soup with a piece of bread.

Poe smiled and chuckled. He turned to L’ulo. “Can I get you anything?”

“No, I’m good. Thanks.” L’ulo replied.

Poe nodded and picked up the tray of empty dishes. “I’ll let you two talk.”

Kes and L’ulo watched Poe walk out of the living room. L’ulo turned to Kes. “So, it seems like things are improving between you two.”

“They are, actually. It’s been great.” Kes said, his eyes lighting up. “Before he ran away from home, everything I’ve done only drove Poe further away. The harder I tried, the worse it got. Since he’s been home, I’ve eased up and things just clicked. For the first time ever, we’re seeing things eye-to-eye.”

“I’m so glad.” L’ulo smiled.

“Now there’s only one problem left.” Kes mused.

“What’s that?” L’ulo asked.

“How much I’m going to miss him when he leaves for the academy.” Kes replied.

“Oh, so he’s going to the academy next year?” L’ulo asked.

“He hasn’t said anything about it since he’s been home, but…let’s face it: he belongs in the sky.” Kes shrugged. “I just hope next time it will be a better experience for him.”

‘Me, too.” L’ulo replied. “It’s good to see you smiling again.”

Kes smiled and nodded. “So, what about you? You went back home to visit your sister, right?”

“Yeah. She has a young son named Norath.” L’ulo said, digging out a handheld holoprojector. He pulled up a holo of himself with a young Duros and showed it to Kes.

“Aww. He looks just like his mother.” Kes said.

L’ulo chuckled. “He does.”

XXX

Kes improved greatly over the next two months. He was regaining feeling in his legs and was getting healthier by the day.

Meanwhile, Poe and Sonius grew closer, but Poe kept him at arms-length. His disguise matrix kept malfunctioning and he asked L’ulo to get him a new one.

One day, Poe walked around the side of the barn and her heard his matrix sputtering off. He pulled it out in frustration.

“Aw, dammit. Come on!” Poe shook the device and finally got it to work. “There you go.” He sighed, turned around and gasped in horror when he saw Sonius staring at him in horror and shock.


End file.
